Theatre Geek - (R.B.) - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

"MORNING DUDE," Alec greeted as Aaron entered the kitchen on the morning after the Christmas party, rubbing his eyes blearily. Aaron, still half asleep, mumbled something inaudible in reply as he reached for a glass of water and downed it in quick gulps.
His mom glanced up from her coffee. "Sleep well, honey?"
He shrugged tiredly. "Well--"
"Good morning."
A small voice diverted everyone's attention to the doorway, where Julia had just entered, still wearing her pyjamas and looking well-rested. Stretching as she stifled a yawn, she too walked into the kitchen and was about to take a seat next to Nini (who was here momentarily to pick up her friend after breakfast) when she suddenly noticed Aaron standing there, staring at her with something akin to wonder.
Trying hard to fight back a smile as she wondered whether the previous night had just been a crazy dream, she gazed back at him, blinking in question. Slowly, he stepped towards her with a grin surfacing across. Julia cocked her head slightly, failing to stifle a laugh as she looked up at him. His hair was sticking up in various places, as if he'd just ran through a snowstorm.
Her lips quirked up in a small smile. "Your reading glasses are crooked," she pointed out, instinctively reaching up to straighten them slowly, biting her lip. "There you go."
Nini, Noah and the other boys watched their exchange with raised eyebrows, giving each other amused looks. Alec looked thoroughly confused, while Fabian exchanged a questioning look with Mrs. MacLeod. Was he seeing things?
Aaron smirked, not having noticed the other occupants in the room staring at them curiously. "Seriously? Not even a good morning?"
She attempted to suppress a smile, glancing down at her fingers. "Well--" Julia didn't get to finish. Disregarding everyone who was watching them, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, leaned down and kissed her soundly on the lips.
Immediately, a loud clattering sound could be heard as Fabian dropped his fork and let out a string of obscene words. None of the others even bothered to tell him off as they were too busy gaping at the sight of Aaron MacLeod kissing Julia Baker, while she responded by reciprocating the action.
"I've gone mental, haven't I?" Alec mumbled, shaking his head in half-awe, half-denial. "Completely crazy."
"That makes two of us," Noah confirmed, but he looked positively delighted at the sight of his brother's heightened love life. Fabian, on the other hand, was not so calm.
"What the hell, 'Ron. When the fuck did this--"
"Language!" Nini and Mrs. MacLeod both chided at the same, but they were beaming as well. "Oh my gosh, Julia! Were you planning on telling us at all?" The young brunette demanded jokingly. "I can't believe it!"
Julia glanced over at the others, blushing profusely as she realized that they were all watching intently, waiting for an explanation. "Uh...Merry Christmas?"
Aaron couldn't help but chuckle at the look of disbelief on his friends' faces. "Merry Christmas, indeed."
"Seriously? We've known each other for a billion years, and I thought I'd be the first to know," Fabian said mournfully through a piece of waffle in his mouth. "You owe us all an explanation," he grumbled as the pair sat down across from him, but secretly he was bursting with pride. Aaron looked happier than he'd ever seen him, and that was good enough for Fabian.
The Night Before, During the Christmas Eve Party:
Aaron scanned the crowd, frowning as he tried to spot the familiar blonde hair. He hadn't seen Julia since she disappeared suddenly while he was lecturing to Noah about finding a girl to dance with on the floor. He'd been hoping to spend some time alone with her before they went back to school, maybe chat a little. But first, he'd have to find her. Spotting EJ and Nini talking nearby, he was just about to go ask if they'd seen the said girl, but stopped - realizing that he'd probably see her soon.
Back inside of his home, he searched for a few more moments before he found Fabian flirting with a random redhead near the fireplace. Aaron hurried over, interrupting whatever smooth line his friend was about to use. "Dude, have you seen Julia anywhere?"
Fabian nodded. "Yeah, she went back to her room a few minutes ago. She seemed upset about something."
"Got it. Thanks." Without wasting anymore time, he hurried away.
Some moments later, he was knocking softly on Julia's bedroom door, patiently waiting. No answer. He knocked again, a little louder, but still nothing. He hesitated for a moment before slowly turning the handle.
The room was silent, there was nobody inside. Aaron took a step forward and noticed a figure standing outside on the balcony. He bit his lip, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to save his appearance, before slowly making his way to her.
"Hey."
She didn't turn at the sound of his voice, but she replied nonetheless. "Hi."
He moved to stand beside her, leaning against the railing. She seemed uncharacteristically quiet, her dress swishing soundlessly as she stared at nothing in particular. It was a few moments before she finally spoke. "Why aren't you downstairs?"
"I was -- er...looking for you. Thought you might like to dance or something."
She shook her head tiredly. "It's alright. I think I've danced enough for tonight."
"Oh," he swallowed his disappointment. "Okay."
It was silent again. He tried to think of something to say. He wasn't sure why, but she'd been acting unusually around him lately. She was quieter, joked with him less, and she always seemed like she was uncomfortable in his presence. Had he done something wrong?
"We can't be friends anymore, by the way."
Aaron frowned, confused. "What? Why?"
"It won't work out, you know. The long distancing," Julia said nonchalantly, refusing to look at him. He felt his face grow warm.
"Why would that be a problem? I mean--"
She shrugged, an unreadable expression in her eyes. "It's because you're moving away next month for college."
He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "Just so you know, this is all just a misunderstanding."
"It's fine. I wasn't...I don't care." There was an edge in her voice, like she didn't fully believe herself.
Aaron frowned. Why was she acting so weird? Kind of like the detached way from when he first met her all of those months ago. "Are -- are you sure?"
"Yes."
He felt his frustration rising. "Then why do you seem so upset with me? Maybe it's just me, but you've been avoiding me all day. If I've done something, anything wrong, please just enlighten me, because I--"
Julia cut him off. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's...it's not you, it's me. Honestly, don't worry about it, it's nothing."
"No, it's not. Why can't you just tell me?"
"Because I can't, alright?"
"I want to help," he argued, taking a step closer towards her, and she visibly flinched, still not meeting his eyes.
"I told you, it's nothing."
"You're a terrible liar."
"And you're terribly frustrating."
Aaron was bewildered, raising his eyebrows. "What? How am I the frustrating one here?"
Julia couldn't stand it anymore. She groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Because! I hate your stupid laugh, and your stupid messy hair, and that stupid way you play soccer--"
Stung, he drew back, feeling like she'd just slapped him right across the face. "Well, if you hate me so much, then why did you even agree to come here?" He argued back, his voice raising a little.
"I don't know!"
"Stop that! You can't just be distant all of a sudden and act like it's no big deal!"
"It doesn't matter..!"
"It does," he bellowed. "Please. Tell me something!"
"Because I like you!"
"Well, if you --- w-what?" Aaron froze, his jaw hanging open in shock. Julia's eyes widened as her hands flew up to cover her mouth, realizing what she'd just let slip out.
"Oh gosh..." She whispered, regretting it immediately. "You weren't supposed to..."
She was met with silence.
"It can't work for a lot of reasons," she explained, running her hands through her hair in distress. "Because you're a senior and I'm a junior. You're moving states next month, and I'm--"
"What did you just say?" Aaron asked weakly, not sure if he was hallucinating. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, adrenaline coursing through his body.
"Nothing. Just -- just forget it." She turned to leave but he panicked, catching hold of her wrist.
"Wait."
She shook her head, desperately trying to get away from there as soon as possible. "No, I shouldn't have--" failing to pull away from his tight grasp because he refused to let go. "Aaron--"
"Just -- just listen to me," he pleaded, releasing her wrist slowly. She hesitated, studying his face and nodding shakily.
Aaron took a deep breath, composing himself. When he spoke, his voice was dragged but laced with determination.
"I didn't get the UCLA sports' scholarship," he murmured, the words hanging lowly in the cool night air.
"What? I mean - when were you planning on telling me?"
He shrugged a little, smiling sadly. Though however well he tried to hide it, Julia was sure that he was trying very hard to not completely break down. For all she knew before, the scholarship was Aaron's main priority ever since he entered high school. She thought that it was truly a shame to see such talent go to waste
"I found out on the morning of the ski trip, actually. That was… part of the reason why I chose to head there with the guys instead. I kind of just needed some space, I guess."
Julia frowned, but before she could open up her mouth to console him, he cut her off abruptly. "It's fine. And you know why? Even if I did end up getting the scholarship, it didn't mean that I'd just forget about you, just like that," he explained, shaking his head at the thought. "When I first met you, I don't know, I can't explain -- but I was like, 'that's it. Her. I have to have her.' But I'd no fucking clue that I'd get so attached so quickly. It was like, suddenly, every other girl paled in comparison. None of them mattered anymore, except for you." He took a step closer, making her breath hitch in her throat as his voice lowered.
"You never saw me the way I saw you. The worst part, I was sure you wouldn't feel the same way. I was perhaps some really nice best-friend, and that's all you thought we'd ever be. And you know, I told myself constantly to move on. From one step to another, you'd always been there and then... Truthfully? I don't think I will. I don't think I'll ever move on from you, Lia, and to be honest, a part of me doesn't want to."
Julia's eyes felt prickly and warm, she could feel herself tearing up. "Aaron--"
He didn't notice her trying to speak and rambled on, running a hand through his hair the way he always did when he was nervous. "You know, 'cuz you only meet a girl like you once in a lifetime, and I got lucky enough to meet you now...So, I'm not letting you get away."
Her throat constricted, and her heart was palpitating so fast, she felt like it would explode. She wanted to say something, but her mind was utterly blank. Aaron still hadn't looked away from her, and his eyes were still as breathtaking as ever.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is…" he took another deep, rattling breath, and although his next words came out softly and his voice cracked mid-sentence, she had heard every word.
"I think...I think I love you."
Julia stared at the ground for a moment before lifting her gaze, her eyes damp from emotion. "Aaron."
"Yeah?"
"Shut up," she breathed out softly as she closed the space between them in one split movement, tiptoeing to take his face in her hands and kissing him full on the mouth with all the strength and energy that she could muster.
For a nanosecond, he froze, caught by surprise because Julia Baker was kissing him (first, at that), but pretty soon he regained his wits and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss gently.
They kissed in the dim light of the moon for what felt like an eternity. A lifetime.
He was the first to pull away, both of them breathing heavily and flushed scarlet. The tingling sensation hadn't left her lips, and her head was spinning uncontrollably, in a good way.
"The hell," he whispered, gazing at her with such intensity that it made her heart pound. "How the hell did you manage to top my expectations?"
Biting her lip, she smiled cheekily. "Beginner's luck, I suppose." Her smile faltered a little as she tilted her head and gave him an inquisitive look. "Why'd you pull away?"
"The problem is...if I continue, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop."
She fisted the tie of his suit and pulled him closer so their faces were once again just mere inches away from each other. "Then don't ever stop."
Their lips met for the second time, and Aaron could've sworn it was better than the first.
As for Julia - she didn't regret a single thing.